Epoxy compounds are used in a wide range of fields as sealing materials, molding materials, casting materials, laminating materials, composite materials, adhesives and powder coatings for electrical/electronic/optical parts, because their curing with various curing agents yields cured products with excellent mechanical properties, humidity resistance and electrical properties. With continuing advances in techniques, it has become a requirement for epoxy compounds to exhibit high performance in terms of heat resistance and the like.
Improvement in heat resistance by using N-(2,3-epoxypropyl)perhydro-4,5-epoxy phthalimide having an imide structure has already been proposed (R Antoni et al., Makromol. Chem., 194, 411 (1993)), but since the process described therein employs epichlorhydrin during production steps for the intermediate it is impossible to avoid inclusion of halogen residue in the final product, and therefore the process is not desirable as a process for production of products which are intended to be used as electronic materials requiring minimal halogen residue.
On the other hand, as organopolysiloxanes with epoxy group-containing organic groups there have been proposed organopolysiloxanes or cyclic siloxanes having 3-glycidoxypropyl groups or 2-(3,4-epoxycyclohexyl)ethyl groups on molecular chain ends or molecular chain side-chains (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication HEI No. 3-255130).